If you’re planning to close an investment round, you’ll need to show investors you have your business in order. This means sharing documents that measure your company’s performance and strengths. One of the best methods to accomplish this is through a digital investor data room, which allows for safe and efficient sharing of sensitive data during the due diligence process.
What documents should be included in a data area for investors? How can you tell whether you’re providing too many or too few documents? Andrea Funsten is a partner at Basecamp Fund.
The answer is “It depends”. Although every business is unique however, there are some things all founders should consider before building an online data room for investors.
Generally speaking, you should include the following documents:
1. Pitch Deck: This should contain an executive summary of the company’s mission statement as well as its product vision and competitive landscape as well as traction. It should include an investor presentation draft and a rough timeline for the capital raising process.
2. Financial Information: Included in this section are both historical and projected financial statements as well as the sources that are in support of these projections. It is also important to include information regarding the legal structure of your business such as bylaws articles, business certificates and tax information.
Some founders prefer to include other documents, like executive summaries or internal reviews of the company’s performance. It is important to be aware that adding more documents can consume time and slow down the due-diligence process.